GST is 'Gabbar Singh Tax,' says Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday called the GST (Goods and Service Tax) "Gabbar Singh Tax", while he was addressing a rally at the 'Navsarjan Janadesh Mahasammelan' here.

Asking the Central Government to make reforms in the GST, Rahul Gandhi said, "The Congress wanted to implement the Goods and Service Tax. But the PM Modi-led government at the Centre has imposed the Gabbar Singh Tax."

Rahul Gandhi then targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his claims of growing ties with China, while calling on the people to stop using China-made products.

"From our press cameras to our cellphones, everything holds the tag 'Made in China'. Everytime you click your phone's button to take a selfie, a youth in China gets employment," he said.

"Modiji communicates his 'Mann Ki Baat' to the nation, but today, I want to tell him the 'Mann Ki Baat' of the people of Gujarat," Rahul Gandhi said, taking a potshot at the prime minister's monthly radio address to the nation.

Rahul further said, "Around 30 lakh youth are unemployed in our nation. 30,000 of them step out in hunt of a job each day. But the Modi government can only provide jobs to 450."

Rahul also accused the BJP-led Gujarat Government of nurturing the industrialists and exploiting the farmers, citing "only the loans of rich people get waived here, not of the poor farmers."

"Where is Nano?", Gandhi asked Modi adding, "You provided Rs. 33,000 crore to Tata. And you used farmers' lands, their electricity, their water. Where are the Nano cars built from that amount?"

Taking a dig at the Gujarat Government over the recent allegations of offering money to a protest leader, Gandhi said, "Just like the British rulers, the Modi-government tried to subdue the voice of Gujarat, the state where legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel lived. However, now they are so scared, that they want to buy the voice of these people."

Due to the ensuing assembly elections, Gujarat has been witnessing high voltage political activities these days.

While the ruling BJP is leaving no stone unturned to retain power in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi is heading his party's poll campaign in Gujarat, eyeing to dethrone the ruling BJP.

The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from 17 February, 1994 to 13 March, 1995.